Confession
by melodisz
Summary: "Say Sakura, do you have someone you like?" — NozaChiyo


**A/N**: For all Nozaki/Sakura fans who weren't satisfied with the anime ending and needed to see them get together.

* * *

"**S**ay Sakura, do you have someone you like?"

The question made Sakura glance up to Nozaki who sat on the floor across from her in his apartment. He seemed deep in thought as he tapped the pencil on the white space where the next panel of his manga would be.

If this kind of situation happened months before this, Sakura surely would blush madly and stutter incoherent words for a few minutes before she could even form an answer but she had been through it so many times before. This was just another Nozaki and his random manga references.

"Yes, what is your story this time Nozaki-kun?" Sakura answered and mentally praised herself at how calm she was.

Nozaki, however, stopped in his tracks and stared at her with an expression that could only be described as shocked and disappointed. Suddenly, Sakura's resolve was shattered like smashed glass by countless what-ifs.

_What if Nozaki-kun feels the same way? What if he thinks I like someone else?_

"Anou, Nozaki-kun, it's not what you thi—"

"Do you still like that terrible guy who didn't even notice your confession?" Nozaki interrupted with a serious expression, "You deserve better, Sakura."

Sakura wanted to cry.

"Well, that aside, let's talk about your manga." she said after two minutes of regaining her composure.

Nozaki hesitated but finally let it slide, "From the previous chapter, Suzuki wanted to know who Mamiko actually liked and asked her but the story will end if I let them go out now. 90% of the shoujo manga I've researched ended soon after two protagonists got together."

Sakura slightly gave a nod of understanding while also thought that for her love life to be this miserable, god might probably be a mangaka too.

"But that's not the problem. I can find some distractions and move on. The real problem is Mamiko's feelings when she was asked by a person she liked so I want to know things from your perspective." Nozaki paused and readied his small notebook then expectantly asked, "So, can you tell me, Sakura? How would you feel?"

It was scary how perfectly Sakura came to understand Mamiko at this point.

"Are you ok, Sakura?" Nozaki asked, excitement replaced by concern, after a few minutes of Sakura blushing and fidgeting, "I understand if you don't want to tell me—"

"N-NO! It's not like that Nozaki-kun!"

Both of their works were completely forgotten as silence echoed through the room. While Sakura had her own personal civil war inside her head to decide whether she should grab this chance and try to confess to him again for the _god knew how many times she already did_, Nozaki formed a plan in his brain even if a part of him still opposed the idea of Sakura with that guy.

"A-Actually, I don't mind telling you. I might even want to tell him but.. "

"Then, do you want to find this guy and get into action now?" Nozaki asked a little too eagerly with his notebook and digital camera ready in his hands.

"Nozaki-kun!" Sakura suddenly burst out, unconsciously hitting her hands on the table as her new resolve burned in her heart, "I.. actually I- about Nozaki-kun, I— I—"

"I understand Sakura." Nozaki said after a few moments of her struggle and casually picked a sheet of paper to sign his mangaka autograph, "You want another support from Yumeno-sensei, your favorite shoujo mangaka, before your important confession." he then handed his _third_ autograph to her, "Here."

Sakura really felt like throwing that sheet of paper on the floor and storming on it.

"Nozaki-kun." she said in a cold and lifeless tone which sent a shiver down Nozaki's spine, her eyes perfectly hidden behind her bang.

"Y-Yes Sakura?"

Calmly, she stood up and declared, defeated, "I think I will go home early today."

Nozaki almost let her go without doing anything because he was very confused about the sudden change in her mood but the moment she walked past him, he saw something, some strange and unbelievable thing. Swiftly, he shot up on his feet and grasped her wrist, "Sakura! Are you crying?"

"Eh? What are you talking about.. " she trailed off when the tip of her finger touched her own tears at the corner of her eye. Sakura wasn't sad or angry at Nozaki but rather, upset with herself and she too was surprised.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Nozaki apologized and let go of her hand after Sakura fully turned to face him then quickly continued before she could disagree, "Do you like him that much?"

Sakura blushed and quickly averted her eyes when their gazes met then nodded.

"Do you want to go out with him?"

Again, she nodded and would have blushed harder if it was possible.

"Is that really ok Sakura?" Nozaki asked hesitantly, "You said he only saw you as someone convenient. Will he care for you? Will you really be happy with him?"

Nozaki just noticed that he might have said all too much only after he finished and it was too late to regret it.

Sakura could feel her heartbeat quicken from his words. She was so defenseless when it came to anything related to Nozaki, even if what he said didn't refer back to him, even if he just cared for her as a friend. Even though Sakura knew with all her heart that his curiosity, _his everything,_ was purely for his manga, she still came to love him this much.

To his surprise, she slightly giggled and said, "You know, Nozaki-kun, I think I was wrong about what I said before. The person I like, he is very passionate and determined in everything he does. Some people might not understand him or think that he is strange but actually, he is very kind and always cares about people around him." she paused and looked up at him with a small smile, "Thank you Nozaki-kun for remembering what I said and being concerned about me. I'm fine with only being his friend but I think I'm able to tell him now."

For some reasons, Nozaki wanted to smile for Sakura but couldn't. He just said, "I'll be your support then but if that guy—"

"You don't have to worry Nozaki-kun because that guy is you." Sakura blurted out in one breathing, looking intensely at the floor and blushing the hardest in her entire life, "I like you, Nozaki-kun!"

She then waited and silently wished with everything she had for a shoujo manga god to bless her.

After about five seconds for Nozaki and around two years of waiting for Sakura, he hesitantly asked, his index finger awkwardly pointing at himself, "M-Me?"

"I-It's ok Nozaki-kun! You don't have to say anything now." Sakura gulped, trying to gather her courage just to look at him, "I want to go home early today anyway." she said with an awkward smile before she headed to the door.

"Wait, Sakura!"

Again, Nozaki grasped her wrist to stop her but this time, he didn't let go and she wasn't brave enough to look back at him, let alone asking what did he want. Slowly, she felt his hand circle around hers, slightly pulling her back to face him. Each passing second suffocated her with more and more hope until she was standing face to face with him.

Nozaki was truly lost for words. As always, no matter what kind of situation, the only thing he could still clearly think about was his manga so he bluntly said, "Is this the way Suzuki and Mamiko felt when they were together?"

Familiar with having her expectations ruined, Sakura quietly laughed to herself instead of crying, "You're still talking about your manga even at a time like this." despite herself, a tear rolled down her cheek, "This is so you, Noz—"

Suddenly, he hugged her.

"When Suzuki wanted to protect Mamiko, when Mamiko wanted to see his smile for no reasons,"

"N-Nozaki-kun—"

"When it hurt him to see her cry, when she always looked for him in a crowd of people or when he wanted to keep spending time with her," Nozaki paused, trying to search for more words to explain his thoughts, "Is that love, Sakura? Is that how you feel?"

To say that Sakura was shocked would be an understatement. She didn't know what to say. Didn't even know how to nod at the moment. Sakura felt like she was going to explode and kill both of them if she moved. Her heart skipped a beat and almost burst out of her chest when he gently tightened his arms a bit around her torso as if to offer her an apology.

"I'm sorry I'm not very good at this. But if I didn't misunderstand anything I said, I think I like you too, Sakura." he said as he released her and wiped her tears away.

While Sakura was still searching for the way to talk, he added tentatively, "Does this effectively mean we're going out now?"

After what seemed like forever, Sakura finally nodded and couldn't help herself but cry tears of happiness when she looked at Nozaki and saw a faint blush on his cheeks. After a lot of efforts and months of failure, the shoujo manga god finally smiled upon her. She had never been so happy and alive.

At the same time, Nozaki was completely panicked by her tears, "D-Don't cry Sakura! Did I say something wrong?"

Sakura violently shook her head while also kept crying and smiling at the same time.

After asking himself what would Suzuki or even Kashima do in this situation, Nozaki realized that he had neither answers nor experiences for this kind of situation and considered himself useless. His instinct told him he needed a distraction so he would just go with that.

"Sorry Sakura." Nozaki said before he lifted her up by her waist, just like the first time they met at the entrance ceremony, just like when they watched the fireworks together at the summer festival. He lifted her up until her face was level with his and he was able to look straight into her eyes.

Before Sakura could say anything, Nozaki kissed her perfectly on the lips.

Needless to say, both of them were inexperienced and clumsy but for the first time in his life, Nozaki had a clear image in his head, not one of Suzuki and Mamiko in a blurred petals falling scene but one of himself and Sakura, the realistic one that could develop into countless happy scenarios in the future.

Sakura blushed and smiled shyly at him after they parted, "Thank you, Nozaki-kun." she whispered, resting her forehead against his.

He only answered her with a smile.

* * *

**Omake**

"Say Sakura, from what you said before, do people really think I'm strange?"

"Don't worry Nozaki-kun, they just don't know you're Yumeno-sensei."

"Do you think I'm strange?"

"Well.. sometimes, you are.. b-but it's just a bit, Nozaki-kun! Only a little bit!"

"Like when exactly?"

"Like when you take a lot of photos of strangers.. or when you take notes about other people's relationships— or.. when.. er— when you're so eager about all shoujo manga stuff.. "

" ..but isn't that 90% of the time?"

".."

".."

"But I like you and will always like you, Nozaki-kun!"


End file.
